Establishing Real‐World Connections for a Better Understanding of Circuits

Many physics teachers would agree that students making real‐world connections is a critical aspect of learning physics, but what does this really mean? Merely seeing a real‐world application of a physical concept does not necessarily allow students to incorporate the concept into the way they perceive their world. It is not just seeing the application that makes the real‐world connection, but establishing personal relevance to that student's life that is a key to learning physics. This paper describes a constructivist activity in which students design and assemble a common and personally relevant electrical device—the power strip.